


Boy, Hold on Tighter, You Were Born From Fire

by dimplelegacy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Birthday Presents, Gen, How Can I Make Keith Impossibly Angsty, Hurt/Comfort, Sheith Is VERY Subtle, Sparring Session, Wow Some Plot What Is Happening, haircut, keith birthday week, more tags will be added, season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-01-19 02:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12400911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimplelegacy/pseuds/dimplelegacy
Summary: In Keith's words; Birthdays don't matter, presents are useless and he isn't worth of the celebration anyway.Unfortunately his friends disagree and Keith has to deal with the blow.





	1. Bonds

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I'm doing this to myself. My love for Keith must be stronger than I thought. This Birthday is meant to happen sometime after the Voltron Show episode, I think? Season 4 hurt me a lot, so I will transfer all my suffering to this happy event like a proper fan should. (No, I'm half-kidding.)
> 
> Unfortunately this is unbetad so be careful on your way. I appreciate comments and kudos a lot, and I'm glad if you manage to enjoy!

 

It's after the early morning's training session, that Kolivan pulls him aside and suggests that he could make a trip to the castle of Lions. Keith knows that he isn't going to be enjoying any peace or quietness that he anticipated for the day.

 

”Why should I?” his voice is only a gruff mutter, while he looks at the floor. ”I should be rehearsing for the next mission.”

 

”This is a rare opportunity for us to rest before the possible great battle and it will do good for all of us. For me especially,” the older Galra adds and Keith knows Kolivan is talking about him. He has seen the tense way Kolivan treats him, but Keith can admit that it is to be expected – he still doesn't always follow Kolivan's orders and that creates uncomfortable tension between them during missions, even though they get along fine in the base.

 

”If you want to rest, fine, but that doesn't mean I have to go to the Castle.”

 

He can feel Kolivan's eyes on him. ”You're clearly on edge and you need the rest too. Resting doesn't only imply sleep, but spending time with those you care for.”

 

Keith doesn't answer him even though his mind is boiling with suggestions for backtalk.

 

”We have more than enough things to take care of starting tomorrow. For today, you should see your friends. I can't tell you when will be the next time you have a chance to do that. Take one of our ships. I expect you to be back here early tomorrow.” After saying his piece, Kolivan pulls the hood over Keith's head and the gesture is so strange that it makes Keith raise his gaze from the floor and look at the leader. ”That's an order.”

 

Keith decides to humour him and nods.

  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  


When he arrives on the bridge of the Castle, only Coran and Shiro are there to greet him.

 

”Well, look who is here!” Coran says to him with a chipper voice from beside the control panel. ”I thought you would bring some of the Blades with you, but I suppose they still haven't gotten rid of their recluse habits.”

 

”Yeah, I can relate,” Keith gives him a small smile before walking to Shiro.

 

The black paladin meets him the halfway, clapping him on the shoulder. Keith is almost blinded by his smile and there's a small sting inside his chest when he notices how much more relaxed Shiro looks compared to the time Keith last saw him – almost like time away from Keith has done him good.

 

”I'm glad you decided to come,” Shiro says and to Keith's relief his voice sounds sincere. ”It's been a quiet day here too.”

 

”Where's everyone?”

 

”Allura and Pidge have an... informal meeting with the Olkari. Lance is playing with his video game and Hunk has disappeared somewhere. Though I wouldn't call it disappearing when it's pretty obvious where he is.”

 

”The kitchen,” Keith says.

 

”The kitchen.”

 

There's only a short pause between them but somehow to Keith it feels painful and awkward. It's shocking and it makes him want to hop back to his ship and return to the base – he doesn't even remember the days when this atmosphere existed between him and Shiro, back in the Garrison as they only got to know to each other, and even then it wasn't as obvious as it is now. He knew it would happen and that is the exact reason why he wanted to avoid this visit. He can only imagine how it will be with other paladins, with his friends who somehow became as natural presence around him as the air he breathed, but who now feel like strangers. Or maybe he is the stranger among them.

 

”I guess I'm going to the the training deck,” he says. ”You two seem busy here.”

 

”Not at all,” Coran answers him. ”I'm only occupied with trying to clean this control panel. You wouldn't know how much dirt it collects before you look at it closely.” Coran waves a colorful cleaning rug at him for an emphase.

 

”Oh.”

 

”I've been just killing time,” Shiro says. ”I'm trying to remember all the professors, commanders and teachers from the Garrison, but my mind is still pretty foggy. I guess it's still the after-effect of my imprisonment.”

 

Keith immediately sees how Shiro's eyes turn distant; sad. He sees a crack and his next words are a reflex; ”I wouldn't say that. I can't remember all of them either and why should we? Most of them were a bunch of killjoy bastards that gave us, especially you, hard time, and for what? We ended up here anyway, defending the universe and none of us, expect you, haven't even graduated yet.”

 

He says this with a dry voice, but something about it must have been funny, because then Shiro is laughing. ”I guess you're right,” he grins and shakes his head at Keith.

 

The crack is fixed for now and Keith feels himself smile too.

 

Shiro looks at him for few seconds, with a fond glint in his eyes, before saying, ”I'm not stopping you if you need to train, but you could come to my room before that? Keep me some company.”

 

Keith tries to stifle the warmth that Shiro's casual words cause him to feel, and he nods. ”Of course.”

 

After that, they walk to Shiro's room and chat about small, irrelevant things, for once leaving the responsibilities and weariness of war for tomorrow. Keith basks in the calm, nice mood of their conversation, and something inside his mind seems to click – he had every reason to want to be alone today and a part of him, the honest and natural part, still wants that, but somehow he feels good when he can listen to Shiro's voice and talk to him, knowing that Shiro will always listen.

 

He misses it. He misses them. He just forgets it sometimes, forces himself to forget.

 

When Keith has settled down on Shiro's bed and Shiro is again laughing at something that Keith said that was unintentionally funny (seriously, no one thinks he's funny except Shiro, and Keith has to agree with others on that), Keith takes a look around the room and notices few differences.

 

”That wasn't there before,” he points at the decoration on the wall close to the door. It's a black, plastic imitation of a tree's branch with glittering oak leaves around it.

 

”It's a bit too fancy for my taste, but it reminds me of Earth. I bought it from the space mall when we had a Voltron show there.”

 

”From the Earth shop?”

 

Shiro nods. ”I did buy something else but it wasn't from that shop.” He seems to hesitate for a bit before he walks to his nightstand and opens a drawer. ”I'm sorry it's not packed.”

 

Keith feels how his throat gets tight, and his heart starts beating after hearing Shiro's words. He squeezes his clammy hands together, watching as Shiro turns to him and then he sees a simple, but beautiful, red belt on his hands, the clasp and the metal around the holes shining gold in the harsh light of the room.

 

”Happy birthday, Keith,” Shiro says softly and hands the belt to Keith before sitting down beside him. Keith can feel the paladin's eyes on him as he stares at the belt, slowly gliding his fingers on the leather.

 

It's stark red. It looks obtrusive and he absolutely loves it.

 

”Shiro, you really didn't have to,” he whispers, but squeezes the belt in his hands.

 

”It's your birthday. Of course I had to and I wanted to,” Shiro answers with a tender voice. ”I saw it in this small store that looked like it was held up by an alien indie rock band.”

 

Keith can't keep out the harsh laugh that bubbles out of his mouth.

 

”It made me think of you and that's kind of an ideal moment to buy a present, isn't it?”

 

”I told you before,” Keith pulls his knees against his chest and tries his hardest to make his heart beat normally again. His skin feels like it has been removed and then put on again, but in a wrong way, like everything from inside him is visible now. ”I don't want presents.”

 

”I remember. You said that they were useless and that receiving them made you feel like a burden.”

 

Keith doesn't have anything to add so he stays silent, avoiding Shiro's eyes.

 

”Keith,” Shiro continues, and there's only a slight shift in his tone, that Keith likes to think only he is able to to notice – it's not unkind, but it's firm with incredibly soft edge, like he won't take no for an answer or else he will stuff your mouth full of delicious food until you can't help but agree with him.

 

Manipulative? Maybe. Keith has a small urge to smile.

 

”You've never been a burden and you will never be. Not to any of us, no matter how differently we may think, no matter what happens. You're our friend and you don't seem to have any idea how important you are to us. And maybe it's my fault, I know I've been too hard on you at times.”

 

Keith turns his head and meets Shiro's eyes, taken aback by his words. ” _ No.  _ You're being a leader.”

 

A smile that appears on Shiro's face is secretive. ”And a leader can't have favorites. But, you see that?” He nods at the belt on Keith's hands. ”That's me playing favorites in private.”

 

Keith swallows. He wants to say out loud how grateful he is for the belt, for Shiro simply being Shiro, but the words are stuck somewhere inside him, behind a lock that's been there for years. And because of that lock he knows that Shiro could buy him a whole shop's worth of presents and he still wouldn't deserve any of them.

 

He's not someone like that.

 

His thoughts come to a halt and his mind hits a hard wall, when he feels Shiro wrap his arm around his shoulders, pulling him firmly against the warm side.

 

”We care about you, Keith,” the black paladin says simply. ”You're always part of us, one of us, and that makes you a privilege. A priority. Never a burden.”

 

Keith feels how the lock inside him rattles and it makes him tremble under Shiro's heavy arm. A moment of weakness makes him press his face against Shiro's shoulder, seek for peace like he has always found it close to his friend. He thinks that if he didn't feel so broken and lost most of the time, if he was a bit more balanced, he could cry and tell Shiro his worries.

 

But he's not. So he stays quiet against Shiro's side, concentrates on the feel of the belt against his fingers and Shiro's breath close to his head. ”Thank you for the gift,” is all he can say.

 

Shiro hums, understands him.

 

Later, he will change into his old clothes and try the belt on, and he will wonder how Shiro managed to get the perfect size for him, feeling an uncontrollable warmth surge up to his cheeks.

 

But before that, Keith spends over an hour in Shiro's room and they talk some more, at times almost talking over each other in their enthusiasm about the current topic – it's comfortable and Keith smiles more than he has for weeks – and then Shiro says, ”I know you won’t like this but.... you probably should know that I told others about your birthday.”

 

” _ What? _ ”

  
  
  
  


 


	2. Identity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not entirely happy with this chapter. My excuse is that work is being a bitch and pissing me off for taking my time, also that I seem to have caught a flu. Yay. 
> 
> The feedback I received from the first chapter was amazing, you guys. You honestly made my day with your kudos, bookmarks and comments. Thank you million times and I hope this one isn't entirely awful. I hope you can enjoy it at least a little.
> 
> (Still unbetad, so be cautious.)

 

 

 

 

 

After finding out that Shiro leaked out his personal information, Keith debates between going to the training deck or simply not bothering to hide his foul mood and go sulk into his room.

 

Technically, his old room. His new room is supposed to be in the Blade's base, but to him that isn't the truth either. It's one of those unresolved cases like his whole life seems to be.

 

When he notices that his feet have started to carry him down the long hall, away from the training deck, he curses at himself for being so ridiculous, and turns around towards his original destination. It's true that he doesn't want to witness nor experience anyone fussing about his birthday – if the team consisted of _any other people_ but his friends, he would have some faith in receiving subtle congratulations or maybe even perfect disregard. But he knows he's not that lucky.

 

His thoughts are proven right as Allura appears from behind the corner and Keith almost knocks her down on the floor in his haste.

 

”Keith! Coran told me you were here!” she says with a pleased tone. She's in her paladin armour, clearly just returned from visiting the Olkari. ”What a perfect surprise. I was just looking for you.”

 

”Please don't say that,” he answers, walking around her and about to flee. ”I really gotta go to train.”

 

”We haven't seen you for several days and you're only here to train?” she frowns and when Keith takes a step away from her, she reaches out her hand and grabs the helm of his t-shirt. Keith doesn't know how her movement manages to be so effective and graceful at the same time. ”Not so fast!” she says, but drops her hand in confusion when she takes in his outfit. ”You changed into your old clothes.”

 

”Yeah, I had to... try something and I don't really care what I'm wearing when I train.”

 

”While I think the Blade of Marmora's suit looks good on you, I prefer this attire,” her expression turns calm and kind, an expression that Keith sees on her face more and more often, even though they are at war.

 

He thinks it might be because deep down Allura warms up to others slowly, just like Keith himself.

 

He doesn't know how to answer her sincere comment so he shrugs.

 

Allura isn't bothered by the lack of response but continues, ”It's quite wonderful actually. How quickly you can adapt to different environments and situations. I'm not saying other paladins don't, they do, but I've always thought you manage to do it the best.”

 

”I've just had practise,” Keith mutters thoughtlessly. He still has a training deck to go to, and sentimental moments caused by celebration to avoid.

 

”I understand that. Either way, it's a good skill to have.” She then glances behind her, before looking at him again. ”Would you come with me for a bit? I have present to give you.”

 

Keith grist his teeth and tries to speak as kindly as he can. ”Allura... I know you mean well, but presents... They're not something I care about.”

 

”Shiro told me about that,” she nods and for a moment Keith is sure he will run back into the black paladin's room and hit him with a pillow (which would be the tenth time today). ”I don't really understand your point. I have always loved gifts. But I'm sure you have your reasons so I can only ask for you to adapt to this situation as well.”

 

”This is not a matter of war. I don't have to.”

 

”Think about it this way then; it isn't anything I bought for you and if I'm being honest, I would have given it to you at some point anyway,” the princess smiles at him, her eyes bright, and she looks much younger than usually. Keith hopes he's not growing weak for her smiles as well, because he can feel his resolve crumble.

 

”Fine,” he says with a tired voice.

 

Allura pulls his arm a little for a good measure, but lets go before Keith starts to feel uncomfortable. ”Come on then,” she says and Keith follows in her tracks.

 

He considers something for a moment before speaking, ”At least you didn't play it as a surprise like I thought you would.”

 

”I don't care for surprises. When you have a gift for someone, you say it and then you give it.” Her dry, professional pulls a chuckle out of Keith.

 

Allura leads him to her room. Its' bright colors and variegated accessories are the perfect contrast to Shiro's simple room, and Keith almost squints his eyes at the view. He thinks this is what some would call ”a very girly room”. He watches as Allura walks to her bed and he's a bit surprised when she kneels down. She's quick and sure with her movements as she reaches her hands under the bed, like she knows exactly where the object she's looking for is. She pulls out a small, modest box and then gives it to Keith.

 

”Please, accept it,” she says.

 

Keith is quite not believing that he's accepting yet another gift today as he gingerly takes the box. Allura's eyes are focused on him, patient but waiting, so Keith feels like he has no choice but to sit down and open the box. He takes a seat on the floor because sitting on Allura's fluffy, big bed would feel too intrusive. While Allura sits down on the bed, Keith takes a look at what's inside the box and he's confused when he sees a gray, pointy-looking stone that's hanging from a black necklace. He wraps his fingers around the necklace and takes it from the box, the stone swaying slightly in front of his eyes as he stares at it.

 

”It's the emerald of Zaal,” Allura tells him. ”It was one of the few remaining belongings of my father that I found from the Castle.”

 

”I can't take this,” Keith says and looks at her in slight shock. He holds the necklace a little tighter, almost afraid that his fingers might slip and he drops it. ”How can you even think about giving this to me?”

 

”I have few other memories of my father. For example, all the jewelries are from him.” She glances at the jewel case on her dresser, smiles shortly, then meets Keith's eyes with a soft gaze. ”This, on the other hand, is something that I don't feel like I should keep. Because it's something my Father got from Daibazaal.”

 

Keith's reaction is based purely on instinct. The name of Galra's homeplanet makes the hairs on his neck stand and he stops breathing for few seconds. He's gotten pretty used to the Blade's members, he _appreciates_ their goal, their fighting style and even the way they think. But everything related to Zarkon and other Galra, turns his stomach upside-down.

 

”Listen to me for a moment,” Allura says, leaning closer to Keith. She must have seen the look on his face. ”This emerald was an important part of Galra's culture. Its' old culture, when there was still peace and kindness among them. Emeralds of Zaal were something that every warrior Galra had, to 'light their way home' so to speak. My father must have gotten it as a gift.”

 

Keith glares at the stone. ”From Zarkon?” he whispers harshly.

 

”I don't know,” she has a sad frown between her eyebrows as she says this. ”It was Coran who told me all of this when we found it, but he couldn't say who had given it to my father.”

 

”Why should I take it?” Keith doesn't mean to be hard on her, but this gift isn't something that makes him uncomfortable or annoyed. He's almost seething with rage just by looking at it.

 

”Keith,” the princess stretches her back so that her face is on the same level with Keith's. Her jawline is tight, a sign that she's determined to get her point across. ”No matter who gave this emerald to my father, it was dear to him. It belonged to him. Please, respect that.”

 

Keith's shoulders slump like someone has poked him with a needle and he lost all the air inside him.

 

He lays the stone on his open palm and tries to change the way he's seeing it. It isn't exactly pretty thanks to it's dim, dark grey color, but he likes the shape of it. He tries to picture it on the necks of some of the Blade's members. His anger faints and then slowly dies out.

 

”Doesn't it make you angry?” he can't stop himself from asking.

 

”It did at first. But I have changed my opinion about the Galra, like you know. I know things are not as black and white as my naive mind liked to think. After I realized that, I had the strength to look at this memento again.” She moves slightly on the bed, leaning her weight against her arms behind her back. She stretches out her legs and bumps her right feet against Keith's knee in the process. ”When I looked at it, I thought about you. Because you opened my eyes and helped me to let go of the unreasonable part of my hate. Revenge is a powerful fuel, but it can burn you out quickly.”

 

”So that's why you're giving it to me?”

 

”As a thank you gift, yes. But I would like you to accept it as a birthday gift too, because that's when my reason changes.” With a shift move, Allura slides down from the bed on to the floor in front of Keith. Then she carefully takes the emerald from Keith's hand. ”May I? She asks, presenting the necklace before Keith.

 

As her meaning sinks in, Keith frowns, biting the inside of his cheek. The princess doesn't budge despite of his sour expression, but looks at him silently. The gesture seems to be important to her. Eventually Keith lets out a sigh and hopes that when he bows his head slightly, it's an answer enough.

 

He hears Allura move and then the necklace is placed around his neck.

 

”At one point, I didn't accept all of you, even though it had always been there and that was wrong of me,” she nudges the emerald slightly now that it lays on Keith's chest and Keith tries focus on her words, ignoring the way they make his chest sting. ”You were born to be both Galra and human, and I'm grateful for that. And I hope this emerald, a piece of the beautiful side of your culture, will remind you to embrace your Galra heritage even if others don't.” Her smile is a bit hesitant, shy in her silent apology. ”You always stayed strong, you were always fair and loyal to me, even when I was not that to you. And because of that, I can still call you my friend -- I'm _incredibly happy_ to call you my friend. So, please. Don't ever give up on yourself, like you didn't give up on me.”

 

Keith can't look at her. He's too afraid of his own expression, of what it could reveal. His fingers itch to grab something, to release some of the intense emotion he's feeling. The feeling of rejection is like a blast of fire hitting you from outside, but this feeling, being accepted and appreciated, is something that makes him burn from inside like an exploding star, and he doesn't know when's his destruction is finished and how empty it leaves him in the end. It should feel good, but as his brain fails to grasp it, and he feels like it's a cruel trick, it only leaves him breathless.

 

”I don't know if I should,” he whispers, hoping that his voice doesn't sound too broken.

 

”What do you mean?”

 

”I don't know if I should 'embrace' my Galra side. What if I lose something that makes me human?” he feels embarrassed about admitting his fear to her, but he doesn't feel like he can prevent it, so he only squeezes his eyes shut before continuing. ”But at the same time I don't feel like a human either, so maybe there's nothing to lose.”

 

Abruptly there's a brief touch on the back of his hand and he snaps his eyes open. Allura is looking at him warily, her hand hovering close to his own before she slowly presses it against Keith's knuckles. It's like a careful pat, barely there but the sensation, the meaning behind it, is strong. He knows he can be aversive and Allura isn't the most cuddliest person either, so initiating a touch that's not a hug in the heat of the moment, must have been a big step for her. Accepting the touch feels like a big step for Keith too, but when he lets it happen it's comforting and secure. Allura's hand is warm on his skin.

 

”I can't say I know what you're going through. But like I said, your adapting skills are amazing. If you can adapt to different kind of situations, to different kind of people, why wouldn't you find a way to adapt to the way you are?” Her touch on his hand is a bit stronger now, a gentle pat changing into a grasp as she wraps her fingers around his own. ”You might feel like you don't belong in neither culture. It's understandable. But there will be a day when you see what we all see; that you belong in both.”

 

He glances at Allura's compassionate smile, before he has to drop his gaze back on the floor. His heart is beating out of his chest and he mentally kicks himself to have some dignity. He has to say something, do something.

 

Somehow he gains enough courage to curl his fingertips against the warm hand. ”Thanks,” he says to her softly. It reminds him of the time when Allura said she was sorry that his mission with the Blades ended badly – his show of gratitude was short and didn't give credit to how much her support actually meant to him. Just like now.

 

”Don't mention it. I'm only telling the truth. And the emerald belongs to you more than it belongs to me.”

 

Keith wants to restore some of the normalcy into their conversation so he voices his first thoughts about the present, ”Why is it called an emerald? It's looks like a piece from a rock to me.”

 

”It's a special kind of emerald,” she tells him with a small smile. Some could even call it a smirk. ”It only reacts to someone who has Galra blood, but sometimes it takes a little time and concentration.”

 

Keith waits for her to say more, but she only smiles wider at his confused state. He looks down at the emerald and touches it but when nothing happens, he lets it drop back against his chest. ”I guess I'll concentrate on it later,” he can't help but sound a bit disappointed.

 

She nods. ”Give it time.” As they both stand up from the floor, she has a thoughtful frown. ”I know you don't like birthday wishes, but I feel like it wouldn't hurt at this point. I've already given you a gift.”

 

”Okay. Make it count,” he grunts, but there's no real annoyance in his tone.

 

When Allura gives him a radiant smile, all traces of irritation vanish completely. It's contagious and his expression softens when she speaks.

 

”Happy birthday, Keith.”


	3. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello from the silent siiideee.
> 
> First of all, I am so, sorry for such a late update. Keith Birthday Week is long gone and that's what this fic was originally for. I would have abandoned it after such long "hiatus" but because of the nice feedback, I decided to continue it. And you have every right to slaughter me if I haven't finished it after this week (just to be clear, it's Monday here now, don't kill me yet). I feel a bit like a scumbag for using the prompts of the Birthday Week but the blog didn't give any attention to this fic's links anyway. 
> 
> Anyway, I really don't know why this chapter was so hard for me to write, nothing important happens in it. Maybe it's because of Pidge herself or because the relationship she and Keith have; they are hardly alone in the show, but I can sense some mutual respect they have towards each other. 
> 
> I want to add that I am very open to criticism. Especially when it's not my own. *Cries* (And when it's CONSTRUCTIVE.)  
> Like always, I hope you manage to enjoy it and thank you for reading.
> 
> Also, please visit me on [Tumblr](http://captain-rinsrins.tumblr.com/) and/on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ayayrins/) if you ever feel like it!

 

 

 

 

 

Keith decides to postpone his training for a while – his mind is too occupied with the emerald of Zaal, the stone resting against the center of his chest. He lets his legs carry him to his old room and as the door opens with a quiet ”woosh”, the stuffy but familiar scent hits him. It has a powerful effect on him, almost making him feel like home, which is something he has had only cheap replicas of.

 

He almost falls face first on the made bed, exhaustion suddenly washing over him like a drowning wave. He's been awake for mere eight vargas, but the emotional impact of the busy morning is melting his brain. The quiet hum around him works like a lullaby, tempting him to close his eyes. He doesn't resist for long and soon he falls asleep, his fingertips on the emerald.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When he opens his eyes again, he knows he hasn't slept for long. His thoughts feel out of place and his body switches, like he had been just about to sink into deep sleep, but when his eyes adjust to the alarming green glow in the room, he almost jumps out of the bed. Heartbeat intensifying, he looks around, trying to find the glow's source, until his eyes land on the emerald. The stone hanging from his neck is shining like a star, blindingly bright, and Keith has to shield his eyes from it by covering it with his hand. The green light is stubborn though and the rays of light shine through through the cracks between his fingers.

 

He curses silently, taking off the necklace. He remembers Allura's words and tries to concentrate to control the stone, even though he doesn't have the slightest idea how.

 

He sticks to simple thoughts; _Emerald. Glowing. Stop_.

 

He breathes calmly, but time passes and he feels his frustration growing by every minute he sees that his method isn't taming the emerald's shine.

 

Eventually, he gives up and decides to go back to Allura's room for more detailed advice.

 

He walks to his door, but when it opens, he sees Pidge standing in the hallway.

 

"Oh," she says softly. Her hand is up in a manner that makes it look like she was about to knock on the door. ”Great, you're here.” She straightens up when she sees Keith holding the stone. ”What's that?”

 

”A nuisance that needs fixing. I was just about to go see Allura,” he answers. ”What are you doing here?”

 

”Aren't you cranky. Shiro did warn us about that.” She offers her hand. ”Let me look at it?”

 

Keith knows Pidge and it's because of her curiosity and pride that Keith respects her; she's a solver, they both know it, and for that same reason Keith's shrugs and opens his hand.

 

The light erupts, filling the room and part of the hallway. Pidge groans out loud and covers her eyes. Probably acting on a pure instinct, she grabs Keith's hand, closing both of their fingers around the stone hastily.

 

”What is that thing?” Her voice is loud as if the bright shine had also produced harsh sound. ”You almost blinded me.”

 

”You asked to look at it. It's something Allura gave me. I'm supposed to be able to control it, but it's not listening to me.”

 

”When did this start?”

 

”Some minutes ago. It woke me up.”

 

”Maybe you're not focusing hard enough because you're still tired,” Pidge suggests, but when she sees Keith's glare, she abandons that option. ”Okay, it might be like with the Red Lion. She didn't listen to you at first either.”

 

”This is a stone. Not a Lion,” Keith sees how she wants to say something smart, so he continues. ”Besides, it doesn't matter. You don't see me piloting any lion anymore, do you? So there was no point in your argument.”

 

When Keith sees Pidge stare at him, he realizes that he has said something a little bit too revealing. He doesn't know if he can blame the problem in their hands, his still groggy state or just the fact that it's this specific day.

 

_Or the feeling of not belonging._

 

"But you did," she says, her tone firm like a loud sound in the middle of a quiet night. "You did."

 

Keith looks away and refuses to answer her.

 

Pidge tightens her grasp on his hand, her eyes on Keith's face while he tries to focus on the stone and not on the strong feeling of vulnerability. He can't believe his bad luck has gotten him into another uncomfortable situation. "Let's try a different thing," she says and carefully pulls her hands away. "Obviously I can't inspect it when it's trying to burn my eyes off. So take a few deep breaths."

 

Keith wants to point out that he has tried that already, but like many times today, he decides to follow others' plans. He inhales, waits for few ticks, before sighing out loud.

 

"Few more."

 

He does so before peeking at the stone. The emerald that resembled a sun before, seems to have dimmed slightly and he can close all of the light inside his fist.

 

"Perfect." He sees Pidge smile. "Try opening your hand."

 

Slowly his fingers slide away from the stone, leaving it simply resting in his palm. Instead of bright green glow, the surface of the emerald has a dirty green color that reminds Keith of landscapes of swamps that he saw in the books he read as a kid.

 

"See? You did it."

 

He nods absent-mindedly. He can't understand why breathing exercise from Pidge helped him immediately, but concentrating on his own only seemed to make the situation worse. As someone who has always held himself up on his own, it's a disturbing realization. He wonders if he has enough strength of mind to deserve to own the stone.

 

The stone flashes brightly, shooting its rays towards their eyes and they both groan loudly.

 

"Keith!" is the only warning he gets before Pidge hits him on the head. His only savior is her small height that slightly minimizes the blow.

 

He stumbles few steps backward and drops the emerald in the progress. He can hear his ears singing. "What's wrong with you?!" he growls out at her, rubbing the spot near his forehead.

 

"You think too much, that's what's wrong with _you_!" Pidge points to the floor where the emerald is, back to its old gray color like nothing had happened. She carefully picks it up and studies it. "Seems like it's strongly linked to your mind. I wonder if we could make it do something more than glowing." When she glances at Keith, she sees him glaring daggers at her. "What?"

 

"You punched me."

 

"I _slapped_ you to snap you out of your thoughts. And I'm sorry if it actually hurt you, but it was necessary."

 

She looks back at the emerald, but Keith snatches it from her hand before she can get more ideas. "I don't think it can do anything more. Allura didn't give me an introduction book for it."

 

"That why we should study it." The green paladin's eyes twinkle with excitement, but Keith shakes his head at her. "Alright," she sighs. "It's your magical object after all. Can't wait for my birthday. I hope Allura gives me something else than jewelry."

 

"I'm sure she will give you something fitting," he says, recalling Allura explaining her reason for why she gave him the stone. "She seems like someone who gives a lot of thought for gifts."

 

The corners of Pidge's mouth switch slightly, beginning to form a small smile. She nods, then rolls her eyes at Keith when she seems him still touching his head.

 

"Why are you here again?" he asks.

 

"I'm actually honoring your wish and not giving you any presents. But I will give you a haircut."

 

Keith can't help the automatic grimace. "A-- a what?"

 

"You have to admit that you can barely see anything behind those bangs," she nods at the hair strands on his forehead and over his eyes. "Can I finally come in?"

 

He looks at her, realizing that she's still standing partly in the hallway. He steps aside and lets her in, the door closing behind her. "Why a haircut all of sudden?"

 

Her voice is impassive as she presses the light-switch on, "It's something I would do for you on a normal day, so that means it's not a gift."

 

"Impeccable logic," he mutters. Pidge digs a shiny object from her pocket, almost like scissors but the blades a slightly crooked. "Are you sure that will work?"

 

"Coran showed me how to use it. Wait." She presses a small button on it and then the blades switch to one single, dagger blade. "No," she says and presses the button again. The blade transforms into a hook and after that to various other sharp weapons before it gains the form of relatively normal looking scissors. "There."

 

"What is this thing?" Keith asks, moving closer and touching the sharp edge of the blade.

 

"Coran called it by some Altean name which I obviously can't remember. Apparently, every Altean family had a tool like this to help with chores."

 

Keith frowns at the information. ”Only the bangs, right? And not too much.”

 

”Promise,” Pidge says and clicks the scissors.

 

They move to the bathroom where Keith takes a seat on the toilet, trying to not snort at how the angle is not the least bit awkward for the shorter paladin, but just right. She only has to bent a little as she studies Keith's hair and face. Keith on the other hand glances at her own light brown hair. He isn't sure if he has gotten used to her hairstyle or if it has really grown that much – it doesn't look as strange to him as in the beginning. Now it fits her. The tresses are smoother but it still looks wildly gauzy.

 

With Pidge this close, he can pick up the smell of Hunk's space cooking, the strong odor of the paladin armor and the same scent of the castle that can be recognized from his room. Old room.

 

It's nostalgic. He doesn't want it to be that way.

 

”Thanks by the way.”

 

Pidge tilts her head at him slightly.

 

”For helping with the emerald.”

 

Her gaze turns softer. ”I just gave you some guidance. You did all the rest. Like you always do. With a Lion or with the Blades.” She seems to have made up her mind about his hair. ”Lean back just a bit.”

 

He does as told and closes his eyes when he feels Pidge take the ends of his hair strands between her fingers. He hears the click of the scissors close to his face and doesn't even flinch, even though the last time someone gave him a haircut it was his dad, a long while ago. He thought it would have been a bigger step to take, to have someone so near him with a deadly weapon and even have his eyes closed while it happens, but instead he feels strangely comfortable. The only complaint he has are the cut hair strands clinging on his neck, tickling his skin.

 

”You know,” Pidge breaks the silence, her voice calm and low. ”You can say it out loud that you miss us.”

 

Surprised at her words, Keith winces slightly. He has an urge to keep his eyes closed while he answers, ”What does that help?”

 

”I don't know if it helps. But it's important to say you miss someone when you do. Because then they can say back 'I miss you too'.” Her pace as she cuts his hair is slow, almost as if she attempts to prolong it, keep it as an excuse to talk to him. Keith isn't sure if he wants to change the topic or keep listening, but he feels like the choice isn't his this time. So he waits and Pidge takes his silence as a cue to continue. ”When Matt and my dad were chosen for Kerberos, they started to tell me and my mom every day how much they were going to miss us. And our family friends. Matt said he was going to miss his girlfriend who he obviously made up. But they never said how much they were going to miss home, our house. We have always moved around a lot and when you do that for a long time, you start to feel like home isn't labeled as walls and floors. I mean, some people do that and it's fine. But for me, for us, a home has always been about words, expressions and just the presence of other people.”

 

Keith slowly cracks his eyes open when he realizes that, at some point, the clicking of the scissors stopped. Pidge isn't looking at him, but at herself in the mirror, her eyes slightly distant. After a while, Keith finds the courage to reply, ”I guess I understand that. I've never had a very permanent home.”

 

”I know,” she glances at him and swipes his bangs on the right side his face, the gentle gesture shocking Keith so strongly that he freezes for few ticks. ”When I said 'us', I also meant you.” She steps aside and stares at him, before ruffling his bangs back on their place. They seem relatively shorter now – his vision is clear, eyes free from poking strands. ”Listen,” Pidge says, leaning slightly on her left leg and crossing her arms, a posture that Keith is very familiar with. She avoids his eyes for a bit but then seems to decide against it and looks at him. ”I'm sure you're doing fine with the Blades. They're brave and stubborn like you. But it also makes me kinda sad because you and others have become my other home. And even though you don't say it out loud, I know you think the same way about us.”

 

He isn't sure if he can admit it to himself, but when he hears someone, Pidge, say it to him with such sincere tone and look, he can't deny it either. She looks small but fierce in front of him in the narrow bathroom and for the first time Keith thinks about how young she must be. He heard what she did, all on her own, to finally find Matt and he feels something like pride because he knows how that feels like – to look for your home, to sacrifice all of your strength and almost all your mentality to have it, _them_ , with you once more.

 

”I understand you need time alone,” she says. ”But you need to remember to come back to us. We're not going anywhere.”

 

He can see it in her eyes – she means it. He wants to believe her too, the small part of him that still has the blind faith of an innocent child.

 

_Do you promise?_

 

”You know I'll always help you guys when you need it, right?” he settles to say, giving her a quick smile.

 

Something like sadness flashes in her eyes. ”You know that's not what I meant,” she softly mutters. But before Keith has time to come up with an answer, she saves him from the trouble and grabs his wrist. ”Anyway, look at your new hair,” she says and pulls him up.

 

He peeks at himself in the mirror, inspecting carefully himself from every angle only to see that he doesn't look much different.

 

”Good job,” he nods at her. ”You might have saved my life. Those bangs could have gotten me killed in the future.”

 

”I'll say thank you and try to pretend you wouldn't have asked a fellow Galra to cut them for you,” she remarks with a smirk.

 

”I wouldn't have,” he says because it's the truth.

 

The green paladin seems to catch the honesty in his words and then she smiles, looking like a portrait of a sibling that Keith dreamed of having sometimes when he was younger. ”It was my pleasure. As much as pleasure you can get from cutting few hairs from someone's head. And happy birthday.” She gently nudges his arm with her elbow before turning away.

 

Keith quickly rinses his face and neck to get rid of the tickling strands before he follows Pidge out of the door, deciding to finally have his training session. Before exiting, he glances at the stone, left on his bed, and smiles slightly to himself.

 

”Are you going to the training deck now?” she asks him as they walk down the hall. When he nods, she lets out a loud snort. Keith glances at her and sees how she is trying to hold in her laugh.

 

”What?” he asks, confused.

 

”Nothing. Good. Lance is waiting for you.”

 

He almost trips on the floor. " _No._ "

 

”Yep.”

 

 

 

 


	4. Past/Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......Yes, you may slay me.

 

 

 

 

Keith thought he dealt with this day quite well. For once, he is pretty proud of himself.

 

He has never been a social person but he believes that he can make friends rather quickly if he only meets the right people. Allura and he had a rough start, but he gained her trust rather quickly. With Pidge, he wasn't always sure what to think about her and her annoying stubbornness, but soon he realized that maybe that stubbornness resembled much of his own.

 

But now he feels like his social skills, and his patience on top of that, have been drained out.

 

He sees Lance on the training deck and the blue paladin quickly spots him by the door.

 

”Hey! About a time! I've been waiting at least 20 minutes,” he complains, but his voice is light. Keith notices the unusual loose outfit he has, almost like a training clothes but it's a whole body suit, possible Altean design. ”Where were you?”

 

Keith stares at his outfit suspiciously. ”I took a nap,” he answers.

 

”You? A nap?”

 

”Yeah, what do- Lance, _c'mon,_ ” Keith lets out a pained sigh when the whole training deck reveals itself to him.

 

The walls have been decorated with red, big flowers and the table from the castle's dining hall is standing in the middle of the room, a light blue tablecloth covering it. Keith can see the floor sparkle, like a whole bag of glitter, has been sprinkled on it. On top of it all, strange circle-shaped ornaments, that remind Keith of bubblegum balloons, hang from the ceiling.

 

It all looks horribly festive.

 

Keith turns around to escape.

 

”Don't you even think about it!” Lance snaps and grabs Keith's shoulder, yanking him further into the room. ”Do you know how much time we spent on all this? Believe it or not, this castle doesn't have many ceremonial decorations.”

 

Keith glances at the things hanging above them. ”You don't say.”

 

”Look, I'm sorry we couldn't find you real balloons. It wasn't a pleasure for me either, I had to hang them and they are _sticky._ ”

 

”A good reason to not bother to do it in the first place.” When Lance opens his mouth to answer, Keith continues. ”Didn't Shiro tell you already that I don't want a party. No presents, no party. The only thing I can stomach is that you briefly mention my birthday and that's it.”

 

For a moment, Lance looks like he's actually going to hit him. ”I heard Allura was going to give you something very valuable to her so if you had _the guts_ to tell her that, I'll–”

 

”I'm not talking about Allura, I'm talking about you,” Keith tries to keep his voice neutral, even though with Lance it's often impossible. ”I accepted her gift, I'm not an idiot. I just thought that at least you would have ignored this.”

 

Lance seems to relax after hearing his answer. ”Why would I? I love birthdays! Those are one of the few things that stay even when we're in a war.” He drags Keith by the table and glances at the knife hanging from his hip. ”So ditch your Galra blade for about...” he seems to ponder it for few seconds before continuing. ”Fifteen minutes and enjoy my gift.”

 

”No presents,” Keith grunts and doesn't move a finger.

 

”Stop your needy act, it's annoying.”

 

” _Needy_?” Keith parrots with a confused tone. ”I'm asking you to leave me alone, that's the opposite of needy.”

 

”No, no. What you _are_ doing is acting like you don't want us celebrating your great existence but you're too awkward to actually ask for it or even take pleasure in it, so you do this. In reality, you enjoy us pampering you and insisting that you deserve presents and a party.” Lance's voice gets firmer by every word and, to Keith's displeasure, he also pokes the centre of Keith's chest various times.

 

”You're not a psychologist.”

 

The blue paladin narrows his eyes at him before the corners of his lips turn up for a smirk. ”I know you, Keith. The easiest thing would be to just accept it.”

 

Keith doesn't know if his throat feels scratchy because Lance might be right or because he is also terribly wrong.

 

Maybe celebrating his birthday isn't as bad as Keith has always thought. Maybe it's nice. Maybe it makes him feel warm and maybe it makes him forget about the days when there was no one there to congratulate him.

 

But it doesn't mean he should get used to it.

 

"So what's the present?" he asks.

 

"Me and you. Sparring."

 

Keith gapes slightly and stares at him.

 

"I know, what a great gift," Lance lifts his chin up, looking very proud of his idea. "You get to kick my ass."

 

"I don't want to kick your ass," Keith answers after a short pause, his voice sincere.

 

That sincerity seems to throw Lance off from his comical high horse. He blinks at Keith before slightly avoiding his eyes. "Oh. That's a relief to hear actually."

 

Keith doesn't understand why. He thought they had put their petty arguments behind a long time ago. Lance has treated him fairly for months now, which has made him actually a decent person to have around. Keith doesn't really have anything against him, but sometimes he feels like Lance has something against himself.

 

And that's something Keith can relate to.

 

"Why sparring?"

 

"I know I can take down few Galra soldiers on my own, but only when I have everyone to back me up. From what I have heard from Shiro, during your trials you fought at least ten of them on your own and even won. I'm not saying I can ever do that, but I want to get better. And the only way I can think of to get better is to have you train me." Lance's tone and expression remind Keith of the time when Lance was there for him, trying to persuade him to let go of Shiro's ghost and find a new pilot for the black lion. It's a side of him that Keith doesn't see too often, so it manages to surprise him every time.

 

It doesn't seem like a birthday gift, more like a friend asking a favour from another.

 

Keith has to admit that he underestimated Lance once again.

 

"Sure," he says with a shrug.

 

Lance's eyes land on his face quickly, his eyebrows furrowing. "That's it? Where's the resistance and stubbornness from earlier?" His frown turns into a full-time glare. "Are you feeling _sorry for me?_ Because I'm not going to--"

 

"Shut up, you're ruining the moment." Keith slams his knife on the table. He passes Lance and moves to the centre of the room, trying to find a spot that's not too glittery. Thankfully, the floor doesn't seem slick. "Why the training deck anyway?"

 

"We thought it would be the appropriate place. You spend all your time in here. So it's the perfect place to have your party."

 

Keith makes a soft noise and watches as Lance comes towards him, stretching his limbs languidly. He can't help but ask, "Did Allura give you that suit?"

 

"I didn't want to break my only clothes from Earth!" the paladin says, looking a bit self-conscious. Then he huffs. "I know it looks ridiculous. Allura laughed at me."

 

"It's not bad," Keith lies. "And I guess that's your charm. You make others laugh."

 

"Oh." Keith words seem to have surprised Lance yet again. "Thanks."

 

"Let's start when you're ready."

 

"I'm always ready," Lance answers and crooks all of his four fingers at Keith. "Come at me."

 

"No, I'm training _you._ So you should start."

 

"That would just give you an opening!"

 

"I need to see what you're capable of!"

 

"We fought every day together! You should already know."

 

Keith lets out a harsh, loud sigh. "Okay, fine," he hisses.

 

Lance's expression is priceless when Keith dashes towards him with strong speed, before he takes a firm stance, preparing himself for the blow. Keith doesn't show any mercy – he strikes out his fist and aims for Lance's stomach. Keith manages to hit him, but Lance grabs his arm with force, lessening the impact. Keith hears him wheeze and grabs his neck, capturing him in a fake stranglehold, and then kicks his legs. Lance is stubborn and doesn't go down that easily, instead, he clings to Keith, surprisingly not even trying to throw him off. They push and pull but neither of them is ready to yield, and when Keith feels like their sparring is starting to look like a pathetic fight between grade-schoolers, he bends his leg and instead of directly kicking Lance, he sweeps his foot against the blue paladin's ankle. The movement finally sends Lance falling down but his hold on Keith is firm that they end up on the floor together, a pile of limbs and huffing breaths.   
  
”Nice move,” Lance says with a raspy voice and then he lets go of Keith's arm, while his left one is still clutching Keith's shoulder. For a second Keith takes it as a surrender but then he feels Lance wriggle his right arm. Something cold and foreign touches his wrist and it makes him flinch. He cracks his neck to have a look at it, without realizing his mistake.

 

He only has a second to see something dark wrapped around his wrist, before Lance easily throws him off on his back. He blinks at the ceiling only to almost choke on his breath when Lance slumps down, sitting on top of his stomach. He eyes at Keith with a satisfied smile.

 

”Fatality,” he says with a low voice and laughs.

 

”Get off me, you're heavy.”

 

”Not until you admit that I beat you.”

 

”I could easily throw you off so technically I'm only humouring you right now by asking you to _get off me_.”

 

”Right, right. Deny all you wan-” Lance's voice dies off and his face is quickly filled with terror when Keith hooks his leg around his neck, slightly pressing him backwards as a warning. He can feel Lance swallow against the muscles on his shin.

 

”Like I said, get off me.”

 

The paladin gives hin a nervous chuckle. ”Ok, ok. I will if you let go of me?” Keith slowly bends his leg, swinging it back down and freeing Lance from his hold. ”Crap, you're scary,” he mutters as he rises from on top of Keith.

 

Keith gets on his feet fast and doesn't try to hide his irritation. He glances at Lance warily, almost expecting the other to tackle him again before he looks down at his wrist.

 

It's a dark wristband and when Keith's fingers graze it, it feels like slick plastic.

 

"Is this an assassination attempt? Is it gonna blow up if I try to take it off?" he asks with a dry tone but keeps inspecting the wristband curiously.

 

"It's something I got from the mermaids. It's like your own special body heather." Lance moves closer to him and taps the wristband three times with his finger. Keith's body jerks at the warm wave that crashes over his arm, then his whole upper body, like someone had inserted molten lava into his veins. It's almost too hot. "Three taps on it and it drags at least five invisible blankets on you, or at least that's what it feels like to me," Lance explains. "Two taps and it stops." He demonstrates this and Keith feels the warmth slowly leave him. Lance glances at his face and smirks. "Isn't it cool?"

 

Keith touches his own cheek and his skin feels like a radiator. "Why are you giving this to me?"

 

"It's your real present. The sparring part was just a decoy. I knew you wouldn't have taken it any other way."

 

"I'm not sure about that. I've humoured a lot of people today."

 

"Try to humour few others then," Lance says with a chipper voice, raising his eyebrows. "We are doing it out of love, believe it or not."

 

Love is like dark matter. Keith knows it exists, but it has never touched him. But somehow he found it, in a form of a new family and he knows that it will hurt him even more than it already has.

 

Keith avoids Lance's honest eyes. He doesn't understand why Lance ever had anything to be jealous of him. Everyone seems to love him and Keith can clearly see the reason for it. "I don't know what to say. Thank you, I guess. It's... it will probably help me in the future. During missions."

 

"You're welcome," Lance answers. He claps Keith briefly on the shoulder and slumps on the nearest chair. "This is what happens on birthdays. You get a present and you say 'thank you'. It's not anything that complicated. You got no reason to be afraid.” When Keith stays still and doesn't answer him, Lance says more with a slightly soft edge in his tone, ”You know, I think you've changed a lot already during these months. So if you wanna keep this small piece of your broody attitude, I understand that. Keep up the lone wolf act.”

 

”Act?” Keith repeats, frowning at him.

 

”I'm not sure what others think, but I've always known that you're not like that. I think that's one of the reasons why I used to hate you.” Lance seems almost apologetic when the word ”hate” hangs in the air between them. He takes a straighter position in the chair, meeting Keith's stare. ”You tried to push others away and it only made you look cool. How unfair is that? I didn't know why you did it, but it was clearly just an act.”

 

”Are you sure you weren't just trying to make me a jerk to justify the fact that you were jealous?” Keith raises one eyebrow at him, then walks to the table and sits down too.

 

Lance ponders for a while beside him. ”Maybe,” he answers. ”But I was right. And I know the reason now when I can actually call you my friend.”

 

”You can?”

 

”Of course, I can. Why so surprised?” He pauses. ”Can I still call you a mullet though?”

 

”No.”

 

”But– It's a petname.”

 

”That's even a bigger reason for me to say no.”

 

”Fine. I thought so.” Keith sees how Lance is trying to not smile. ”Anyway, I know you want to let people in. You're not a lone wolf. You're just scared.”

 

The last time Lance mocked him for being scared, they ended up nose-diving in the sand with their lions. But now his tone is kind, understanding. Still, Keith can't help but answer like the last time, ”I'm not scared.”

 

Lance sighs a bit too dramatically. ”It's okay to be scared. Hunk is scared all the time and that doesn't stop him from protecting others, protecting the whole universe! Besides, you're not pushing us away anymore.”

 

_That's the problem._

 

_I can't anymore._

 

Keith leans his chin on his palm absent-mindedly and tries to come up with a clever answer, but everything seems too forced and, unlike their arguments, this moment isn't forced; it's one of the quietest moments he has had with Lance and it doesn't deserve his sarcasm or light mockery. He doesn't want to break it, not when Lance seems so keen on supporting him.

 

He only nods.

 

To his surprise and pleasure, Lance doesn't say anything either, only nods back. He looks calm and strong, hopeful for the future – always enjoying the small things like birthdays, video games and giving a gift to a friend.

 

Keith tends to look at the bigger picture more and at the moment he sees nothing but black. He can see light for the universe, glory for Voltron, his friends alive and well. But he himself feels drained and small, like he has already given his all even though everything demands more.

 

”Are you going use it?” Lance asks suddenly. Keith glances at the wristband. ”Promise you will. I'd hate to see it collect dust in your drawer. Or bag. Or whatever you have there in the base.”

 

”I will. I promise,” Keith nods.

 

He feels like he is going to need some warmth in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on dark side [Tumblr](http://captain-rinsrins.tumblr.com/) , [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ayayrins/) . I like to talk.


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